Current Opinion in Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Treatment
of Migraine: A Focus on Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
A migraine is a debilitating headache that is throbbing in quality.
Migraine headaches are located unilaterally, but in rare instances they can be bilateral.
Migraine headaches affect both children and adults of varying ages. Globally, the third
most common illness is migraine headaches affecting 14.7% of the world population.
Migraine is more common in women than men due to female hormones.
Although migraine causes are not fully understood, it has been determined that genetics and
environmental factors play a major role.
Migraine can be triggered by the following: 1) hormonal changes in women such as changes in
estrogen throughout their menstrual cycle, 2) hormonal treatments or oral contraceptives
have shown to exacerbate migraine, 3) alcoholic and caffeinated beverages,
4) emotional and physical stress, 5) environmental triggers such as bright lights, loud noises,
strong smells, 6) changes in sleep patterns, and 7) lack of healthy
diet or consuming high amounts of cheese, salty foods, processed
foods and monosodium glutamate (MSG) products.
A migraine headache consist of three events: 1) the migraine prodrome, 2) the aura, and 3) the headache.
Migraine prodromes are symptoms that occur a day or 2 before the onset
of a migraine. About 77% of patients complain of prodromes.
The most commonly reported prodromes include yawning, constipation,
neck stiffness, slurred speech, and irritability.
Approximately 25% of all migraine patients suffer from the migraine aura.
It is understood that the aura occurs before the headache phase,
although some patients may experience the aura during the migraine headache.
It is important to point out that auras are not exclusive to migraines,
they may be present in other conditions as well.
Neuro Open J. 2021; 8(1): 5-10. doi: 10.17140/NOJ-8-136
